


Play The Strings Of My Heart

by theroomstops



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff and Smut, Happy Ending, Semi Smut, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-16
Updated: 2020-02-16
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:33:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22762513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theroomstops/pseuds/theroomstops
Summary: Their eyes met across the garden.Birds chirped happily around them, dancing across the sky in the mild Scotland breeze. The sun choosing to peek out for a quick hello behind sheer, fluffy clouds, as their families found their respective seats as slow, classical music played softly in the background.______________David's wedding day surprise for Julia.
Relationships: David Budd/Julia Montague
Comments: 15
Kudos: 84





	Play The Strings Of My Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Well, it's been a while! Hope everyone is doing well. I got this idea courtesy of @madamehomesecretary and a Facebook clip of a girl playing this song on a violin. Thank you for the idea, friend. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=261968324768818
> 
> Line breaks indicate a long flashback.
> 
> Thanks to @amickhawes for being constant support and my second pair of eyes.

Their eyes met across the garden. 

Birds chirped happily around them, dancing across the sky in a mild Scottish breeze. The sun choosing to peek out for a quick hello behind sheer, fluffy clouds, as friends and families found their respective seats as slow, classical music played softly in the background.

Julia held her hand at her stomach. Breathing in deep, feeling her heart beat quicker than normal. Clutching at the necklace adorning her chest. Letting the chain move between her fingers as she took in the crowd from her place at the little arch decorated with flowers. 

Ella had insisted on that arch, and then assumed the role of wedding planner assistant automatically, in fact. It had been quite sweet actually. Ella sneaking around the house with a sly smile as she attempted to covertly figure out their favorite flowers and colors and whether or not they liked ‘green stuff’ as she called. David had seemed slightly concerned for a brief moment, pondering one night as he brushed his teeth if his daughter should be allowed to trick them this way, even if they were both aware of it. Truthfully, Julia had been too relieved that Ella hadn’t suddenly decided on her moment to resort to petty teenage behavior, to really care.

She hadn’t really needed a wedding, but now that it’s here, it means a great deal more than she expected. Her first wedding had been a garish affair. Big and outlandish, and every inch the British upper class fete the Montague and Penhaligon families had expected of her. She’d spent her morning reading the newspapers and working until her mother had managed to drag her away only an hour before the ceremony. She’d hated it. Being prodded at and decided over truly was not her thing. She’d probably scowled as she walked down the aisle, though thankfully Roger was too hungover to care.

The soft notes of Air by Bach stirs a memory in her. Julia loved classical music. She always had. And she’d watched as David slowly came to love it too. At least he liked it enough that he would happily go with her whenever there was a concert she wanted to attend. In fact, the last time it had been all his idea. Though the very picture of a man dressing up willingly in a tux holding tickets to Wigmore Hall, had been such the powerful aphrodisiac, that by the time the violin bow had met its companion strings, they were busy doing things decidedly inappropriate for a renowned classical music hall. Luckily, he hadn’t seemed to mind the waste of money as they’d sat there, giggling in the aftermath, against the locked front door. Not intending to go anywhere but the sofa or a bed.

Her love of it had been one of the few things she’d happily taken with her from her upbringing. It gave her pause. A moment of peace in a busy lifestyle. To hear it play as she walked down the aisle to marry _this_ man, had seemed obvious. A part of her, a part of what had travelled with her through her life… what had kept her sane… guiding her into her next chapter. A life with a man who wanted all of her. Who encouraged her when she faltered. Who shouted back when she was unreasonable, without intimidation or threats. Who came with her to events he hated, just because she asked and he knew it would make her happy.

She smiled to herself and lifted her skirt slightly. Taking a deep breath as she prepared herself to take the first step from the gravely path onto the one that led her towards him, to the tones of a string quartet.

Then the music stopped. 

_Shit_. 

That wasn’t the plan at all. She had very specifically given them instructions to play for the ceremony itself. Hadn’t she? Yes. No, she _absolutely_ had, she was sure of it. She’d given them a fucking list.

She looked over at her fiance. Husband, if only the damn quartet would play and they could start this thing. And David kept smiling. Proudly standing there in his tux jacket and kilt as he took in the crowd and then met her look with a teasing grin. He bit his lip (very rude of him to do the things he knew she found attractive _now_ ), and then for some reason he... winked and smiled. 

David _winked_.

And then just as she was thinking of how to quietly alert her quartet of musicians at the corner of their little wedding area to continue, she heard the far-away but gloriously rich notes of a familiar song begin. It came closer now. Closer and closer until she recognized the face behind the violin. 

Her very favorite. 

She would deny being a fan of any musician to any person that dared ask her, but David knew. _He_ knew there was one she treasured more than any other. That there was one person whose talent had given her the most peace and solace and had made her cry in ways nothing ever had before. Who’d unknowingly guided her through soul-crushing grief, frustration, anger and tiredness. He knew. And now, inexplicably, there it is. The same violin she’s heard play so many times before, and a face she’s studied as she’s listened to hours and hours in concert through the years. 

Her feet felt burrowed to the ground while her heart leapt, floating as she came to the realization that this was the special gift he’d spoken about as they checked in, and as they ate breakfast that morning. When she realized this is how he loves her.

Playing, as he looked at her, his head cocked to the side and tears filling his eyes, was **their** song.

—————————————

Her hand had been tapping nervously for a while. 

_Tap. Tap. Tap._

David stretched out on the bed watching reruns in her room while Julia worked. Finishing up the piles of folders and notes for the two speeches she had to give the next day. But as soothing and full of gorgeous Greek sunshine as the ITV drama he was half-watching was... he could feel something was up. He knew her now. At least most of her everyday habits, if not the deep depths of her psyche yet. Though, to be honest, he felt he was getting a decent grip on that too. She had lovingly wormed herself under his skin, he craved knowing more about her.

He recognized it though. All too well. The tapping. The irritated way she’d huffed that he could order dinner whenever the hell he wanted and she’d just eat on her own later. The way every breath lasted double the amount of time it normally did, and how he could hear it quiver as she released it. 

The last few weeks had caught up with her. Two assassination attempts, a brief stay in hospital, increased, relentless media attention and, of course, a staff that was now far too small to handle the demands of it. She’d been stuck in unwanted situations with journalists simply due to a lack of organization, traveling the country trying to maximize on the political capital she’d gained and it had taken its toll.

And so, after yet another incident earlier today, it was no wonder to him that Julia was panicking. 

All that was missing was a watch that said 4 am and his flowery old bedsheets twisted in his shivering palms, and it looked mighty similar to how he usually felt. She’d had them every now and then since the shooting. She hid it well, well enough that no one else knew, probably. Even though he always did. Always knew when there was something off about her. Studying her was his job, after all, and his added interest meant he now picked up on everything.

“Julia?” He bit his lip as he waited for her to look at him. She sighed, closing her eyes quickly as she turned her head and then shot him an impatient look. “Do you want to talk?”

“I need to finish this for the speech in the morning.” Julia shook her head, carefully cracking her neck before she turned back to her draft.

Well. There it was. An easy way of dismissing him without even acknowledging why he’d asked the question. 

He sighed and flicked the TV off, walking over to the window and sneaking a peek out onto familiar Glaswegian streets as he hummed to himself. And then, he had an idea. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, swiftly tapping to start shuffle until music began to play and her head lifted, tired eyes finally meeting his. He smiled quickly and left his phone next to her on the desk, pulling a reluctant Julia from her chair.

She tumbled a little and he wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close as he held her left hand in his and kissed her fingers. Pressing his lips against them until she eased up and allowed him to hold her. He held their joined hands against his chest and smiled softly.

“You don’t have to talk. Just... Stay in my arms.” He shrugged and stroked her back, gently urging her to stay there. “One song.”

_Wise men say, only fools rush in  
But I can't help falling in love with you_

“Elvis? Cheesy.” She sounded tired.

It wasn’t Elvis, to be honest. Probably a new version Ella had downloaded onto his phone, but it was nice. It was a woman’s voice. Soft, slow and comforting. But yes, perhaps a little cheesy. He didn’t really care.

“Aye. ’Twas the first song that came on the shuffle.” He winked. “Lucky.”

Her eyes closed, and for the first time that day, he saw the weak contours of a smile reach her face. Then she laughed a little. Chuckling as she looked at him, her hazel eyes red and heavy. It made his pulse race a bit, deeply grateful that he seemed to have been able to pull her out of whatever was threatening to overtake her before. Distracted her for a moment, if nothing else.

_Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?  
If I can't help falling in love with you_

“I’m sorry I’ve been in such a mood today.” She breathed deep, looking up at him quickly and then between them. He touched his lips to hers. Kissing her as if he meant it to say all the things he felt but wasn’t ready to say yet. Because he did. They danced slowly, swaying gently back and forth, feet seeming to need no guidance as they made their little steps back and forth.

“You don’t have to apologize. You don’t have to be sorry for being human. Not with me. I understand, Julia.” His thumb caressed her cheek. Her eyes flickered slightly, as if she wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not. How could she not? How could she not know how he really felt? “I see you. It’s alright.”

_Like a river flows, surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be_

The corners of her eyes turned glassy. Moistened with tears as she let her head fall onto his shoulder and stifled a cry. The room eerily quiet despite the soft music in the background and the heavy breaths against his neck. He slowed then, wrapping her in a hug and feeling her chest rise and fall against his as he caressed her back slowly. Laying his head on hers as he stood there, holding her in his arms as he did the first night he truly saw her.

He often wondered what flashed through her mind when these things happened. If she relived part of the shooting or had phantom feelings of pressure from the bomb that had gone off just as they’d entered the auditorium that day five weeks ago. 

For him, the bomb had been the event that had unsettled him the most. The one he dreamed of. Silly, really. Since he’s spent years imagining gun shots. But he knew why. It showed itself in the fact that he always dreamed various scenarios where he never reached her. Never got to her. Cruel images of situations where Julia had gotten to the stage and been blown to pieces. The bombing was worse to him because she had become important then. She was who he searched for in the rubble. Not the calm and collected way they’ve been trained, but desperately and without any other thought than that if she’s dead, he doesn’t see a reason to go on. 

But he imagined _she_ mainly hears bullets raining around her. If one can think logically about the way two fucking assassination attempts will affect a person that isn’t trained to handle trauma. It had been so deeply personal. There had been such deception and hatred at play for them to end up there, at that moment, and he imagined she thought about that too. Why and how someone can hate her enough to climb onto a roof, aim a machine gun her way and shoot until her vehicle is so destroyed it barely resembles a car. Hated her enough to kill himself.

The time since had been odd. Full of investigations and questions, and in it, the only thing that had kept him sane was coming home. Or... The Blackwood Hotel as it was actually known. Though lately it had felt a lot more like home than his flat ever did. _She_ felt more like home than anything could. All those corny signs in the little trinket shops Vicky liked going to on Sundays had turned out to feel true. For him anyway. 

His home felt like a person, not a place. And his person was her.

The soft breaths in his ear were growing calmer now. Almost so quiet he wondered if she’d gone to sleep. He kissed her head, nuzzling his nose against her as he tightened his grip.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

_I love you, he wanted to say._

“Sure.” He said instead. Looking down at her, taking in her slightly ruffled hair and seeing her bare feet next to his as he felt his chest tighten at the unbelievable notion that this moment was real. That he was really this lucky. 

“I love... that song.” She smiled, chewing on her lip as she traced his face with her eyes. And now it was him who felt a little unsteady.

“Me too.” 

They listened to other songs as they continued to dance that night. But those first lyrics reverberated in his mind.

They made love slowly that night. David poured all his love onto her as he took off her clothes and let them fall to the floor. Kissing his way from her lips to her neck to her collarbone as he gripped Julia’s hand in his. Her fingers gliding between his own as he moved atop her slowly, her bare legs wrapping around his waist as he filled with all he had to give her. Eyes locked with hers as they lost themselves in each other and the moment. Her hand pulled on his hair, catching locks of it between her fingers as he nipped at her lips. Scraping along her jaw, carving a trail along her collarbone back to her lips as he felt the heat rise in her body and held onto her desperately. Telling her he loved her in every way he could find until the words finally slipped from his lips as he hovered above her, warm and breathless.

She smiled. 

Biting her lip as she tightened her grip on his hand, arms stretched above her head. In return, she’d whispered.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too  
For I can't help falling in love with you_

They laughed.

Giggled together in each others arms as they finally said it out loud. _‘I love you.’_ Twice spoken, twice meant and it was all a little bit crazy. 

He was supposed to be sleeping next door. She was supposed to fall in line. He was supposed to hate her. She was supposed to be fine. But she wasn’t. And neither was he. They’d broken, both of them. Cracks in their steely armors by bullet shots and bombs, and they weren’t fine. But they were in love. And for now, that was more than they could have asked for.

—————————-

_Like a river flows, surely to the sea  
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be_

_Take my hand, take my whole life too_  
For I can't help falling in love with you  
For I can't help falling in love with you 

They both knew this song by heart now. 

They’d danced to it countless times since that night in Glasgow. Sung it as they got ready for the day in her hotel bathroom in the weeks before he resigned his position and she moved home, then eventually in their bathroom at home. Playing it in the car to Charlie and Ella’s amusement or irritation, very much depending on the day and time. Swaying to it in the kitchen as they made feeble attempts to learn to cook together.

In the last two years, it became their song. As if it was meant to be their anthem as their journey began. Because it hadn’t been a choice. They _had_ been helpless back then, to powers much greater than them. Helpless to violence and hate and bad guys with guns and bombs and power, but also helpless to stop the love that blossomed under white sheets and in the confines of dark hotel rooms.

Two souls slowly beginning to patch each other up as they dealt with the memories of what had been done to them. His from years before, hers merely days and weeks prior. They had grown new selves. Weathered storms. Found refuge. 

Built a home.

Not to say it had in any way been an easy road to take. They’d learned to live with two budding teenagers and mouths running under the pretense of being supportive. They had survived a year-long investigation that ended one career and almost ended another. And it had made them stronger.

“Hi...” She whispered as she took the last step and reached him at last. Taking his offered hand to hold onto as she greeted their officiant and the two smaller Budds that flanked her on either side.

"Aye. Glad you could make it.” He chuckled at himself, and dried her eyes as she laughed.

“I love this song.” She hoped her nerves hadn’t stood in the way of all she'd wanted to say with just one simple phrase. She hoped her face conveyed just what she felt that second, in case her words and the way her voice had broken as she'd said it hadn't. That sometimes she feels a love so deep it scares her. That it worries her sometimes how well he knows what she needs and wants. That in all her life, he’s the only man she’s ever allowed herself to love in a way she has no control over.

He’s crazy. He knew it too. It had taken a larger chunk of his savings than he had intended. But he didn’t care for presents. Never one to give or receive one more item he could just as easily go buy himself if he needed it. She didn’t either. Nor did either of them care for blatant displays of wealth or desperate ways to convince people how they felt about each other. After the past two years, they sought quiet moments at home, rather than any spotlight. But somehow, as they discussed the ceremony, it seemed obvious that for once in his life, he was desperate to show them all how much he loved her. How much she means. In a way that only she would know the true depths of.

She had her own surprise for him, of course. A month long trip she’d planned for them for the past seven months, with his mother’s help. And even though it’s the childhood dream he’d talked about as long as she’d known him, right now it feels as if it pales in comparison to this. 

He’d found her heart and played its loving strings.

“Me too.” David smiled, his fingers playing with the single band on Julia’s hand. A simple engagement ring his mother had gifted him on their third time in Scotland together.

Julia handed her bouquet to Charlie, who stood tall and proud with the bundle of bluebells in his hand. She took David’s hands, feeling them in hers as she tried to compose herself. She’s never seen this coming. If she could freeze one perfect moment in time, it would have been this one.

The violin played until they felt ready. Bow furiously gliding over strings as they took a moment to be together. To look at each other. To feel the excitement in front of them and the journey behind. And then David Budd and Julia Elizabeth Montague took deep breaths. 

They shared an intimate smile, the music stopped with a quick nod, as they held each other’s hands. To have, to hold, to keep safely in their yearning, protective grasp, forever.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm so grateful I managed to write again that I don't care if it's bad or full of typos, but feel free to tell me if you notice a silly mistake so I can fix it.


End file.
